Post by spotti on Dec 6, 2013 11:28:00 GMT
...and by gum they are good!!!
Obviously didn't borrow her actual brave pants but my imaginary ones worked just as well!
Took Faith out for a hack this morning and decided to take Oscar with me. He has been before, usually we're all on foot or my OH has his eye on O while I'm focussed on Faith but I thought "what the heck, let's have a go" this morning and decided to take them both out on my own - me on Faith, Oscar running loose underfoot.
Started out a little shaky with a few moments of me thinking "what have I done?!" - namely as I was trying to mount by using a felled tree, Oscar was fussing about under Faith's feet, resulting in her doing the most ginormous cow kick I've ever seen and me almost going flying (luckily I still had both feet on the ground, trying to get Faith to stand straight enough and close enough to the tree for me to get on - had I been mid-mount I'd have eaten dirt
) - but after putting on my Brave 'no nonsense' Pants, I told Faith to get on with it and stop being a t*t and told Oscar to get in front and keep away from Faith's feet (otherwise she'd kick him again) and within minutes we all settled into a nice rhythm and had a nice almost hour-long hack around the XC course and a little wander in the woods.
For the first few minutes it was very clear to anyone who knows Collies that Oscar's part-collie bit of his brain had kicked in because he kept 'herding' Faith from behind, keeping far enough away to avoid her feet but close enough to wind her up (because she couldn't quite see him) but after I told him to "get on" - his cue to go on ahead -, he gave up on the herding and took the lead, giving Faith someone to follow, and finally they seemed to remember that they liked each other and settled into a nice walk.
We had a few nice little trots, a few jog-bolts where I had no control of Faith what so ever (but she thought it was fun and O kept out of her way so it turned out OK) and on the last stretch towards home Faith was insisting on going faster and faster and faster until I eventually gave in, gave her a bit more rein, sat deep, hooked my fingers under her neck strap and just let her go. She jogged faster and faster until she fell into a canter - I thought she was going to keep going until she was flat out galloping ("eek!") but she didn't. She fell into a canter, stretched out into a fast but steady pace and stayed there.
Usually I'd be unbalanced due to trying to slow her down/steer/hang on for dear life (
), but since I had my Brave Pants on (and O was behaving himself and keeping out of the way), I somehow managed to relax into her fast canter and actually enjoyed it!!
As we approached the top of the hill where the field levels out and leads back onto the yard, I literally spoke to Faith (didn't change my reins or legs or seat or anything) and asked her if we were going to slow down and to my surprise she steadied up, went back to a trot and then calmly slipped back to a walk *looks shocked (can't find a smiley that fits)*. I looked round to see how far behind Oscar was and again, to my surprise, he was right behind us - he'd kept up with our mad dash. And the grin on his face was almost as big as mine!!!
As we reached the top of the field - and we were all enjoying a little walk after our short burst of excitement - I saw the YO in his tractor/digger moving a big pile of leaves which had been dumped by the wind yesterday. I called to O to "woah" and "wait", and at the same time asked Faith to do the same thing. Bless them, they both stopped dead and stood calmly for about 2 minutes while the noisy tractor finished scooping up the leaves and drove off towards the school to dump them on the fire. NORMALLY that wouldn't be quite so much of an achievement (as they are both quite familiar with "woah" and "wait", and both used to the noisy tractors and other machinery on the farm), but after such a mad dash - which could have easily been chaos is Faith had decided to go nutty - they were both so calm and listened so well. I'm so proud of them both
. Well done Faith and Oscar, you cleaver old beans!!!
Safe to say that Faith was a bit pooped after our ride and was rather sweaty when we got back onto the yard, but once I let her in the school for a roll she soon dried off and cooled down. Oscar went back in the car while I mucked out and now that we've come home, he's curled up in his bed fast asleep, knackered after his morning work out.
The moral of the story: Brave Pants are magic, even if they are imaginary!
Also, I have learned something about Faith today - I think, like Rac's Racaille, she goes much better if left to her own devices...you just have to out your brave pants on and be ready to travel at warp speed if that's what she sees as necessary!!!!!
Gotta love that pony
Obviously didn't borrow her actual brave pants but my imaginary ones worked just as well!
Took Faith out for a hack this morning and decided to take Oscar with me. He has been before, usually we're all on foot or my OH has his eye on O while I'm focussed on Faith but I thought "what the heck, let's have a go" this morning and decided to take them both out on my own - me on Faith, Oscar running loose underfoot.
Started out a little shaky with a few moments of me thinking "what have I done?!" - namely as I was trying to mount by using a felled tree, Oscar was fussing about under Faith's feet, resulting in her doing the most ginormous cow kick I've ever seen and me almost going flying (luckily I still had both feet on the ground, trying to get Faith to stand straight enough and close enough to the tree for me to get on - had I been mid-mount I'd have eaten dirt
) - but after putting on my Brave 'no nonsense' Pants, I told Faith to get on with it and stop being a t*t and told Oscar to get in front and keep away from Faith's feet (otherwise she'd kick him again) and within minutes we all settled into a nice rhythm and had a nice almost hour-long hack around the XC course and a little wander in the woods.For the first few minutes it was very clear to anyone who knows Collies that Oscar's part-collie bit of his brain had kicked in because he kept 'herding' Faith from behind, keeping far enough away to avoid her feet but close enough to wind her up (because she couldn't quite see him) but after I told him to "get on" - his cue to go on ahead -, he gave up on the herding and took the lead, giving Faith someone to follow, and finally they seemed to remember that they liked each other and settled into a nice walk.
We had a few nice little trots, a few jog-bolts where I had no control of Faith what so ever (but she thought it was fun and O kept out of her way so it turned out OK) and on the last stretch towards home Faith was insisting on going faster and faster and faster until I eventually gave in, gave her a bit more rein, sat deep, hooked my fingers under her neck strap and just let her go. She jogged faster and faster until she fell into a canter - I thought she was going to keep going until she was flat out galloping ("eek!") but she didn't. She fell into a canter, stretched out into a fast but steady pace and stayed there.
Usually I'd be unbalanced due to trying to slow her down/steer/hang on for dear life (
), but since I had my Brave Pants on (and O was behaving himself and keeping out of the way), I somehow managed to relax into her fast canter and actually enjoyed it!!As we approached the top of the hill where the field levels out and leads back onto the yard, I literally spoke to Faith (didn't change my reins or legs or seat or anything) and asked her if we were going to slow down and to my surprise she steadied up, went back to a trot and then calmly slipped back to a walk *looks shocked (can't find a smiley that fits)*. I looked round to see how far behind Oscar was and again, to my surprise, he was right behind us - he'd kept up with our mad dash
. And the grin on his face was almost as big as mine!!! As we reached the top of the field - and we were all enjoying a little walk after our short burst of excitement - I saw the YO in his tractor/digger moving a big pile of leaves which had been dumped by the wind yesterday. I called to O to "woah" and "wait", and at the same time asked Faith to do the same thing. Bless them, they both stopped dead and stood calmly for about 2 minutes while the noisy tractor finished scooping up the leaves and drove off towards the school to dump them on the fire. NORMALLY that wouldn't be quite so much of an achievement (as they are both quite familiar with "woah" and "wait", and both used to the noisy tractors and other machinery on the farm), but after such a mad dash - which could have easily been chaos is Faith had decided to go nutty - they were both so calm and listened so well. I'm so proud of them both
. Well done Faith and Oscar, you cleaver old beans!!!Safe to say that Faith was a bit pooped after our ride and was rather sweaty when we got back onto the yard, but once I let her in the school for a roll she soon dried off and cooled down. Oscar went back in the car while I mucked out and now that we've come home, he's curled up in his bed fast asleep, knackered after his morning work out
.The moral of the story: Brave Pants are magic, even if they are imaginary!
Also, I have learned something about Faith today - I think, like Rac's Racaille, she goes much better if left to her own devices...you just have to out your brave pants on and be ready to travel at warp speed if that's what she sees as necessary!!!!!
Gotta love that pony
) but with the occasional canter we had in the FF, she was definitely free-er than in a treed saddle but still felt a bit restricted, she'd never have flown like she did on Saturday or made such a smooth transition from canter to gallop in that saddle. It can look a little odd until I'm on board, but once I'm on IMO it looks pretty 'normal' to me...even though we hack out minus the stirrups (which might make it look a bit strange again lol 
for so much hard work we thank ye!!